Study Guide for "Remember Thy Suffering Saints, O Our God"

In this talk, Elder Anthony D. Perkins shares his personal experiences with suffering due to a cancer diagnosis and uses these experiences to provide insights into the purpose and nature of suffering in our mortal lives. He offers four principles of hope that can help individuals endure their unique trials and tribulations. These principles are drawn from scripture, prophetic teachings, and Elder Perkins" own experiences.

Before Reading

Before reading or listening to the talk, consider the following questions:

What are the four principles of hope that Elder Perkins discusses?
How does Elder Perkins describe the relationship between suffering and sin?
What role does the Savior's enabling power play in enduring suffering?
How can we draw upon the Savior's enabling power?
Why is it important to choose to find joy each day, even in the midst of suffering?

Topics

Understanding the Purpose of Suffering

Elder Perkins explains that suffering is not necessarily a punishment for sin, but can be a means by which God refines our souls. He emphasizes that our Heavenly Father can use our sufferings to refine us and prepare us for eternal life.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus’s disciples saw a blind man at the temple and asked, "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" His disciples seemed to incorrectly believe, as do far too many people today, that all hardship and suffering in life are the result of sin. But the Savior replied, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."

The work of God is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. But how can trials and suffering—especially suffering imposed by another person’s sinful use of agency—ultimately advance God’s work? The Lord told His covenant people, "I have refined thee … ; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." Whatever the cause of your sufferings, your loving Heavenly Father can direct them to refine your soul.

How does Elder Perkins explain the relationship between suffering and sin?
What does it mean to be refined in the "furnace of affliction"?
How can our sufferings advance God's work?
How can you view your own trials and sufferings as opportunities for refinement?
What steps can you take to allow God to use your sufferings for your benefit?

Recognizing God's Awareness of Our Suffering

Elder Perkins emphasizes that Heavenly Father is intimately aware of our sufferings. He shares personal experiences and scriptural examples to illustrate this principle, including the Prophet Joseph Smith's experience in Liberty Jail.

While in the midst of trials, we can mistakenly think that God is far away and unconcerned with our pain. Even the Prophet Joseph Smith expressed this feeling at a low point in his life.

The Lord’s answer reassured Joseph and all who suffer: "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high."

I witness that our Heavenly Father, who notes the fall of even a single sparrow, is aware of your suffering.

How does Elder Perkins illustrate God's awareness of our sufferings?
What reassurance did the Lord give to Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail?
Why is it important to understand that God is aware of our suffering?
How does knowing that God is aware of your suffering affect your perspective on your trials?
What can you do to remember God's awareness of your suffering during difficult times?

Relying on Jesus Christ's Enabling Power

Elder Perkins teaches that Jesus Christ offers His enabling power to help us endure suffering. This power, made possible through His Atonement, can give us strength beyond our own. We can access this power by keeping the covenants we have made with Him.

Jesus Christ offers His enabling power to help you have strength to endure your suffering well. This enabling power is made possible through His Atonement.

Your temporary moment of strength can never compare to the Savior’s infinite supply of power to fortify your soul.

The key is binding yourself to the Savior by keeping the covenants you have made with Him.

What is the Savior's enabling power?
How can we access the Savior's enabling power?
Why is it important to rely on the Savior's power rather than our own strength?
How have you experienced the Savior's enabling power in your life?
What steps can you take to more fully rely on the Savior's power in times of suffering?

Choosing to Find Joy in Suffering

Elder Perkins encourages us to choose to find joy each day, even in the midst of suffering. He shares examples of individuals who have found joy in their trials, and emphasizes that our focus on God's plan of salvation and Jesus Christ can bring us joy regardless of our circumstances.

Those who suffer often feel that the night just goes on and on, and daylight will never come. It is OK to weep. Yet, if you find yourself in dark nights of suffering, by choosing faith you can awake to bright mornings of rejoicing.

The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.

Why is it important to choose to find joy in the midst of suffering?
How can our focus on God's plan and Jesus Christ bring us joy in our trials?
What steps can you take to choose joy in your own trials?
How can you shift your focus to God's plan and Jesus Christ in times of suffering?